


More than Transportation

by dlyt



Category: Forever Knight
Genre: Backstory, Gen, Learning to live as a Vampire, Middle Ages, Paris - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-27 00:32:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17756375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dlyt/pseuds/dlyt
Summary: In his early days as a vampire, Nick finds unexpected common ground with LaCroix.





	More than Transportation

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The characters of Forever Knight do not belong to me, and I am making no profit from their use. This is strictly for fun!
> 
> Acknowledgements: Thanks to PJ1228 for beta-reading, suggestions, and encouragement.

 

“Are you ready to depart, Nicolas?”

“Yes, LaCroix. I’m a little confused, though.”

“Indeed? What troubles you,  _mon_   _fils_?”

“We are vampires. Why do we bother with horses? Why not just fly?”

LaCroix smiled gently at his youngest child. It was refreshing to see his world again through newly immortal eyes. “There are three main reasons,” he began to explain. “One: to blend in with the mortals around us. It would be odd for aristocracy to travel without horses.”

“Oh, yes. I hadn’t thought of that,” Nicolas admitted, chagrined.

“Two:” LaCroix continued with a smile, “we need at least one pack horse for Janette’s wardrobe.” 

“Now that you mention it ...” Nicolas grinned broadly, “... not that I’m complaining, mind you.” His grin turned wistful. “Each ensemble highlights another aspect of her beauty.”

The two men shared a companionable silence for a moment, each entrenched in separate reflection, before Nicolas turned an inquiring look at his new master. “You said there were three main reasons, LaCroix. What is the third?”

A wry grin appeared on LaCroix’s face as he replied, “Emergency rations.”

“What?” Nicolas turned pale and his voice dropped to a whisper. “We ... would drink ... from our horses?”

LaCroix turned a bland expression on his protégé as he instructed him in this vital lesson. “Human blood is our natural food, but the blood of animals will sustain us if necessary.”

“I’ve done that before,” Nicolas intoned in a flat, emotionless voice.

LaCroix froze. This was unexpected.

“We had no water. The desert stretched out for miles, with nothing but sand and sun and heat. Men were dying all around us from the thirst. Horses, too. Someone had the idea to drink the blood ...” his voice trailed off. With effort, he roused himself from the nightmarish memory and concluded grimly, “It saved our lives. I had hoped never to have to do it again.”

LaCroix nodded. It was an acknowledgement of shared experience. For a moment, the two warriors reflected on the actions that had been necessary for their survival, and each knew the lengths to which the other would go to ensure its continuation. For a moment, they were peers, though the hardships each remembered were separated by centuries.

The moment passed, and neither man regretted the interruption when Janette appeared, chattering about the inconveniences of travel, and the hope that she had not forgotten any irreplaceable items.

LaCroix gave her an indulgent smile and kissed her forehead in greeting while Nicolas took the bundles from her arms and headed for the stables. Janette, ever sensitive to her sire’s moods, asked him gently, “What troubles you,  _mon père_?Is everything all right with Nicolas?”

LaCroix hesitated, then reassured her. “It is nothing, my dear. Just two old soldiers comparing war stories. Still, he could probably benefit from some diversion as we ride tonight. I’m sure you can manage something once we leave the distractions of the city,  _n’est pas_?”

_“Mais bien sûr, mon père._ I overheard some interesting gossip last night from one of the serving girls, and there is a new story I heard that I’d been planning to tell you when the opportunity arose. I’m sure we can keep him distracted, between the two of us.”

“One caution, my dear.” He paused to ensure her complete attention before continuing. “Nothing about horses.”

“As you wish.” She smiled demurely, wondering privately at the cryptic nature of men’s communication.

LaCroix smiled contentedly. All was as it should be. It was time to move on.

 

**Author's Note:**

> mon fils – my son  
> n’est pas – isn’t it so  
> Mais bien sûr, mon père. – But of course, father.
> 
> Timeline – very soon after Nick has been brought across by LaCroix, perhaps as early as a week or two, and LaCroix decides it is time to leave Paris. Because of this, I use the French spelling of his name – Nicolas.


End file.
